Battle of the Bands returns: $10k up for grabs!

It marks two years since Ben Hanson, the former Channel 9 cameraman turned publican, gave The Parkhouse the heave-ho, reinstating The Mona in all its glory and commencing Operation Bring Back the Community.

“It was pretty dire mate, the community had just left completely,” says Ben. “We had a lot of work to do to win them back, but my approach from the start has always been very simple – bring back the love, support local initiatives, and have a great venue that serves as a community hub to bring it all together. And obviously, live music is a huge part of making a pub great.”

There’s no shortage of committed young rockers on the Beaches, so in 2025 Ben unleashed the debut Battle of the Bands at The Mona, a huge success. Incredible bands across a whole range of styles battled it out, eventual champions Speaking of Which even celebrating their oversized novelty cheque with their guitarist backflipping off the stage – a timeless captivator for a swilling audience.

“It’s very similar to how we’ve supported the East Coast Invitational surfing competition,” says Ben. “I know surfing’s of course big on the Beaches, but so is music. And when I was young, going out to see live music was a really big part of my life. The Battle of the Bands is all about creating an environment for up-and-coming musicians to play in front of proper audiences, test their musicianship, feel the pressure, experience the excitement, to just grow as performers and potentially win $10,000.”

This year’s BOTB has seen 130 bands apply, 12 have made it through, and the on-stage action is set to sizzle from 10 October through to Halloween. “The format’s 4 weeks, Saturday nights this year, get the Front Bar humming,” says Ben. “12 Bands. 3 weeks of eliminations where one band goes through to the Finals. Then we’ll have one wildcard band to be the 4th member of the final on 31 October.”